Maison Perumal

“A lovely colonial-era house in the seldom-explored Tamil quarter, where staff treat you like royalty”

Pondicherry (now known as Puducherry) is famed for two things: its 17th-century French colonial past, which has left an architectural legacy and the feeling of being in a Provençal town on the bay of Bengal; and its Sri Aurobindo ashram, which draws yogic devotees from around the world. Most people don't know about its Tamil past, or about the Tamil quarter where Maison Perumal stands, and that's a good thing. When you arrive after a 3-hour journey from Chennai, it feels like you've found a jewel in the dust.

Once a registry office, the building was lovingly restored by CG Hearth (the brains behind SwaSwara) to create an elegant 10-room hotel with the feel of a private dignitary's house. In the morning, the sun shines through stained glass to create extravagant patterns on the whitewashed walls; inside, sepia-toned pictures tell of the past and vibrant silk cushions lie on elaborately hand-carved wooden beds.

You're walking distance from central Pondicherry's main sights and the exceptional staff bend over backwards to help with every need. We haven't visited yet, but we've heard such good reports that we wanted to let you in on it before we do.

Special offers

for i-escape guests

3+ nights high season discount

A little extra

for i-escape guests

a bottle of wine

Highs

The beautiful building - its Tamil personality comes through in its courtyards and verandahs; the fluted pilaster and arched windows give it a French charm

The excellent staff - warm, courteous and happy to cater for your every whim

The ambiance - charming and elegant. It's like being a guest in a friend's home, if that friend is a 17th-century Tamil dignitary

The location - it's a short walk to everywhere in Pondy, including the beachfront promenade and market

The super-fresh Keralan food, with an emphasis on seafood

Lows

The bathrooms are small and not particularly luxurious

Not much storage space for unpacking

Street noise might occasionally disturb you, but only occasionally

Best time to go

“The best time to visit is between mid-December and early March when the weather is dry and sunny; avoid October, November and December when there is heavy rain. There are festivals in Pondy throughout the year, including an international yoga festival in January, Bastille Day on July 14 and Diwali in October-November.”

Our top tips

“Take Yann Martel's Life of Pi with you to read. The novel begins with a depiction of the protagonist's life as a child growing up in Pondicherry before he's plunged into the Bengal Sea with a host of zoo animals.”

Rooms

The 10 rooms are all different and various sizes (though the same price), with hand-carved wooden beds and desks, cream lamps, uneven mustard-yellow or red floors, TVs and air con. The CGH team spent a lot of time reviving old crafts and researching into woodworking to create just the right atmosphere and carefully restore period detail. Six rooms are on the first floor and 4 are on the second; there are 2 twin rooms and 8 doubles.

The base colour palette is cream, offset by bright fuchsia, purple, turquoise or green pillowcases and curtains. And we particularly like the little details: jute slippers in small handmade bags made from newspaper, speckled white soap from Auroville, and shampoo in ceramic pickle jars in the shower bathrooms.

We're told it feels like you're staying in someone's regal retreat, but this goes 2 ways: you're at leisure to explore the rest of the hotel and relax in the courtyards on the wooden swing, but you also probably won't want to hole up in your room - they aren’t really big enough or luxurious enough for that.

Features include:

Air conditioning

Cots Available

Extra beds

Phone

Slippers

Terrace

Toiletries

Tv

WiFi

Eating

Dining here is relatively informal so it feels like you're being catered for individually. Meals are served in either the courtyard dining area, half open to the gardens, or in the landscaped gardens themselves. You can choose from the menu for lunch, plump for a set evening meal or have a chat with the chef about what he recommends. He’s passionate and eloquent about his Keralan-style food, much of which is based on his family recipes.

Breakfast is either Continental-style with croissants and toast plus cooked extras, or South Indian with idly and dosa (rice and lentil pancakes served with gravy and chutney). There is an à la carte menu for lunch, with lemon rice and grilled prawns, fried chicken curry with tomato rice or prawn or fish curries.

Evening meals have a fixed menu, with a starter, soup, a fish platter including perhaps calamari and prawns, dessert, and tea and coffee to finish. Everything bought and cooked is fresh, local and seasonal - it has to be, as the hotel has no freezer.

The hotel also has a small bar, ideal for a post-sightseeing Cobra beer. There are plenty of other places to eat within walking distance; staff will happily recommend a couple.

Go temple crazy. Gingee/Jingi Fort is just outside Pondicherry and has a temple complex; there are Chola temples to explore in Tamil Nadu, complete with temple elephants; Chidambaram has temples to Shiva about 1 hour away and the UNESCO-listed rock temples of Mahabalipuram are 2 hours away

Activities on site or nearby include:

Ayurveda

Boat trips

Cycling

Heritage walks

Hiking

Historical sites

Horse-riding

Museums / galleries

Plantlife / flora

Private guided tours

Shopping / markets

Temples

Yoga

Kids

Extra beds are available for children and cots can be arranged for babies. Babies and children 5 and under go free; children 6 and up are charged a supplementary rate when in the same room as their parents.